For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
1 Timothy 4:4-5 NIV
Received with Thanksgiving
Back in 2020, a Toronto man received a package from Canada Post that he ordered online nearly eight years before. After a Canada Post delivery person rang his doorbell, Elliot Berinstein found a package from the online retailer Well.ca sitting on his doorstep. Berinstein said he was initially confused because he hadn’t ordered anything from the e-commerce site in years. When he opened it, he found an invoice from 2012 and a bottle of Brylcream he had long forgotten he had ordered.
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I have a friend who is arguably the most thankful person on the planet. He spends his time focusing on the good things in his life, and regularly thanks the Lord for everything that is a blessing to him. As you might guess, people love to be around him, particularly when they are having a challenging day. He recognizes what the apostle Paul teaches in 1 Timothy 4:4-5: “For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.” There were those in the early Church that were trying to put the law back into the Gospel of grace. Paul hits that head on by saying that if it lines up with the word of God and is an answer to prayer, it is obviously a gift from the Lord, so enjoy it with thanksgiving. God loves us and blesses us with, as James says, every good and perfect gift. Take time today to consider all the good things God has brought your way and receive them with thanksgiving and joy. It will bless you and others.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley